prosecutor Jay Edelsonone of the many who have taken legal action against him Thomas Girardi and his estranged wife, the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayneappeared on a podcast where he explained the new indictment against Thomas and commented on the bleak outlook presented by the IRS investigation into Erika’s finances.
While also hinting that more indictments are coming, the attorney shared what he believes could implicate Erika for Thomas’ crimes against his former client.
“There are two sets of indictments that have happened,” Jay explained in the episode Reality Life With Kate Caseystated that it focused on the Lion Air settlement fraud in Chicago while prosecutors in Los Angeles focused on the “criminal enterprise” known as Girardi Keese.
At the time of Thomas’ indictment last month, the law firm’s former chief financial officer (CFO), Christopher Kamonalso accused, like the son-in-law, David Lirawho previously worked for the company.
“I think there’s a big problem,” Jay said, adding that a third prosecutor is also involved.
“We anticipate that there will be many indictments, attorneys, and others associated with the Girardi crime family,” he said.
According to Jay, the indictment takes longer than a typical civil case because the matter is a criminal matter.
“You really have to have all the evidence when you file, you have to be able to prove your case… I think they want to make sure they have a really strong case,” he shared.
Jay also suspects that prosecutors may be hoping that those involved in the case will fight back.
“I suspect that a lot of people have been targeted… The question is whether they will start stealing other people in the crime syndicate. And that process also takes time,” he continued with a nod. Keith Griffinformer lawyer Girardi Keese, who has not been charged.
“If there’s one person who wants to rat everyone out, it’s Keith Griffin,” he revealed.
While Jay is happy to see people finally “criminally prosecuted,” he knows there’s a lot of work to be done to find out whether Thomas is competent enough to stand trial. As RHOBA fans also know, Thomas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in early 2021 and has been in conservatorship ever since.
“We think he’s lying. If you look at, like, the pictures that were taken of him going to court, you know, he looks like a 140-year-old man. What I heard from other people who saw him when the cameras weren’t rolling, he was very fast and has a pep in his step,” Jay said. “I haven’t seen his medical records. But you know, my opinion is that he’s lying.
“There’s no question that he’s competent because he’s running a Ponzi scheme,” he said.
As for Erika’s IRS drama, which features millions in overdue tax returns, Jay said it is “very bad news for Erika Jayne” that the criminal division is investigating.
“I think his criminal exposure really comes from the IRS,” he said. “So they sign this joint tax return. And you know, one thing, which is counterintuitive to most people, is that if you steal money, you have to report it as income. And if you don’t, you’re going to get in trouble, even criminally, with the IRS.
“That’s where I think he can have a lot of responsibility. Tom stole 10 million dollars. I’m sure he didn’t report it as income, he signed it,” he said.
While Jay admitted that he wasn’t sure if Erika was aware of Thomas’ bad behavior, he said that he was confident that he would be able to prove that she benefited from his crime, reflecting RHOBA cast member as the frontwoman of Thomas scheme.
“Even though he was signing up a Lion Air client, part of the presentation was that Tom was married to Erika Jayne, and she was a rich celebrity and shared his success. [was],” he replied. “These people in Indonesia, and what you say, these are very successful lawyers. And they are very powerful and influential. And I think they have influence.
Also, during the podcast, Jay said that about Erika’s role RHOBAhe did not feel that it had worked for him.
“The number of things he said on the show is very bad for him. And we will definitely use it, because we will file our civil lawsuit. And we will be able to show that he lied to the public,” he said. “He had a real problem. He lied all the time. And he lied about some important things, including about the financial situation of Girardi Keese and his family, when he found out that he had no money.
Jay then noted that Erika’s comments about her case, including the suggestion to “fix it” and the case being dismissed, were “so random”.
“I don’t know if he lied about it, or if he really didn’t get good advice from his lawyer,” he said. “[The cases] not fired. They are recharged only in different jurisdictions.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 is currently in production.